Hen setting 8 weeks now! What to do?Will she go blind?

[shadygardener]

:/Thelma Lou has been setting now for 8 weeks! The eggs she was originally setting on either disappeared 1 by 1 or somehow got busted (by Thelma Lou?--I know for sure she busted 1 herself.) She continued to set on that last egg until she'd been setting almost 5 weeks, then it too disappeared. She continued to set on an empty nest until last week when I put 2 eggs from the other hens under her, figuring if she's going to set, she might as well have some eggs to set on in case we can get babies. Then yesterday I was told I should not let her set that long because she'll go blind. Is that true? Any advice at all will be appreciated, since I've only had chickens a few years and don't know much more than when I started.

 

[warmfuzzies]

Why would she go blind? Maybe I am really wrong, bu tthat doenst make any sense to me. I would be more worried about her losing weight and not staying hydrated in the heat. They are only made to sit for three weeks and their bodies are able to handle that.

I would try to break her up. 8 weeks is a long time to go with little food and water.

 

[shadygardener]

Well it makes no sense to me either! The man I got all my chickens from has raised chickens for years, and he told me yesterday it would make her go blind to let her set that long. I figured surely that was just a myth! She gets off the nest a couple of times a day, early morning and early evening, and goes out in the yard (my chickens are free-range during the day) to visit her friends and get a snack. She appears healthy. I just didn't think it would hurt her and she'd eventually get tired of setting, till he told me that. Thanks so much--you've made me feel better. It's one of those things when you think 'Nahhhhhhh...surely not....well, he should know...he's raised chickens a long time....Nahhhhh....surely not.....well, I'll ask somebody and find out....just in case.
Thanks!

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
Well, I was told as a teen certain behaviors would have the same effect, but I did 'em anyway. I can't say my sight is perfect, but I'm a long way from blind.

I didn't grow hair on my knuckles, either.

 

[Mrs. Glassman]

 

[shadygardener]

So, do you all think I really have nothing to worry about, as long as Thelma Lou eats and drinks enough? Am I safe to just wait and let her quit setting when she wants? What can I do about it anyway? I don't want to close all the chickens out of the henhouse all day anyhow.

 

[basicliving]

That's a really long time to be broody. It's a good thing she's getting off the nest to eat and drink - still 8 weeks is a long time! A broody's body does go through some physiological changes, such as ceasing egg production. My broodies end up with very withered, pale combs.

If you do a search on breaking broodies you will come up with many suggestions and it seems the most popular is to put her in a wire cage with NO nesting materials for a few days. Most people report good success from that.

I've only broken one broody. If you are around the house during the day, you may want to see if it works for you. I removed all the fake eggs I normally leave in the nest boxes. Then I would go out to the coop every hour or so and remove ALL eggs so she had nothing to set on. I would also remove her and put her in the yard. Naturally, she ran right back into the coop, but eventually she started staying out longer and longer At night, I would go into the coop after dark, remove her from the nest box and sit her on a roost. It took about 4 days of doing these things, but it did finally work.

In the future, you may want to consider removing your broodies and putting them in a brooder pen of some sort. Or rig some chicken wire across the nest box so that no one can get in there with her, and then open it to let her out once or twice a day. I've used both brooder pens and chicken wire across nest boxes when I'm had more broodies than brooders. Both accomplish the same thing - peace and quiet for the broody and no "extra" eggs laid in her box while she's setting.

Best of luck! Please let us know what you end up doing.

 

[Judy]

To break a broody, you can try taking her off the nest multiple times a day. I have read on here that you can put her in a wire cage set up on something so that air flows underneath her. Put food and water but no nesting material in the cage. Leave her in there a couple of days. Or give her some baby chicks to raise.

 

[sparkles2307]

Quote:
Well, I was told as a teen certain behaviors would have the same effect, but I did 'em anyway. I can't say my sight is perfect, but I'm a long way from blind.

I didn't grow hair on my knuckles, either.

I was thinking something along those lines, maybe the farmer who said it'd make her go blind is confused and told the teenaged kid next door that he would grow feathers or lay an egg if he continued in those other behaviors.

 

[sundance]

I have RIR, and they don't understand they are supposed to go broody. so I bought an incubator.

marrie